fish

Coho Salmon Replica

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A handsome coho salmon I molded, then cast in resin. The eyes were set, and after minor sculpting, it was painted with an airbrush using acrylic paints, opaque and iridescent. I colored it as it would look migrating from the vast salt ocean to its final destination in a small coastal stream.

New Painting

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Slashing its extraordinary tail, a thresher shark breaks free from the water.

There’s no doubt in my mind that the thresher shark is one of the most spectacular fish in the sea. I’ve had this picture in my mind for around 2 years. Originally I wanted the shark to be hooked in the mouth, with the line trailing off to the right, out of the picture, to an unseen sportfishing boat. I changed my mind for two reasons, 1) I thought the line became too distracting and broke the composition flow, and 2) is there any reason to fish for sharks anymore? I don’t know but I doubt it. So I imagined this shark slashed at a school of baitfish, and its momentum caused it to break the water’s surface, and for some really lucky reason, you were there to see it.

* I stole the brownish sky color from Winslow Homer’s Gulf Stream.

*Now available as a print.

Molding and Casting a Starry Flounder for Reference

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I caught this small Starry Flounder while Surfperch fishing. It was hooked deep and wouldn’t have survived if I had released it, so I decided to keep it and make a half cast for reference.

Cleaned and dried.

Placed in bedding material to midline.

Plaster negative dried and sealed.

Resin positive.